November 2011 News

Women are at greater risk than men of being killed by a second or third heart attack in Australia, according to new research.

A report by Deloitte Access Economics and commissioned by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca found that the number of Australians dying from repeat heart attacks is expected to increase by 40 per cent over the next decade, with women affected more than men.

Some asthma sufferers are turning to emergency departments as part of their primary health care plan because they can't afford the ongoing costs of prevention medications, a leading news source has reported.

Speaking to the Canberra Times, executive director of the Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT Darlene Cox stated that some people would choose to live with a "wheezing breath" rather than pay the cost of implementing an asthma plan.

"It's a costly business managing your own chronic condition,'' she told the Fairfax Media source.

A new mental health agency in New South Wales will require important decision makers to have personal experience with the issue, if new legislation is passed.

Due to open July 1 2012, the $30 million Mental Health Commission will see each government agency in the state implementing a united plan to fix mental healthcare.

Minister for mental health Kevin Humphries introduced legislation to parliament last week (November 24) stating that either the commissioner or a deputy commissioner must have personal, lived experience of mental illness.

The federal government has introduced legislation for a $500 million e-health record system for Australia.

Health minister Nicola Roxon presented the bill to parliament yesterday (November 23), allowing patients to opt-in to the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system, due to start in July 2012 if approved.

"Australians will have unprecedented control over their health information, including who can access their record and which documents can be viewed," Ms Roxon said.